On the margins of the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW-70) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Smt. Savitri Thakur, held a series of bilateral meetings with international counterparts and senior UN leadership on 10 March 2026 to discuss cooperation on advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Bilateral Meeting with France
MoS held a bilateral meeting with H.E. Ms. Aurore Bergé, Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister for Equality between Women and Men and the Fight against Discrimination, Government of France. The discussion focused on strengthening cooperation in the area of inclusive and responsible Artificial Intelligence, with both sides exchanging views on how collaboration and knowledge sharing can advance gender equality in emerging technologies.
MoS highlighted key initiatives and programmes of the Government of India aimed at women’s empowerment. The French Minister shared insights on France’s strengthened domestic violence legislation and its implementation, and both sides discussed opportunities for further collaboration.
Engagement with UN Women Leadership
MoS also interacted with senior leadership of UN Women during a side event held on the margins of CSW-70. The event was attended by Ms. Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women; Ms. Christine Arab, Regional Director; Ms. Kanta Singh, Deputy Representative (Programme & Operations), India Multi-Country Office; and Ms. Shoko Ishikawa, Deputy Director, Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division.
In her remarks, MoS highlighted India’s sustained efforts towards women’s empowerment and gender equality, and emphasized strengthening future collaboration between India and UN partners to accelerate progress on gender-responsive policies and programmes.
The Minister noted that during India’s G20 Presidency, UN Women partnered with India in advancing the priorities of the Women-20 (W20) agenda. UN Women has also been working closely with the Ministry of Women and Child Development and NITI Aayog on initiatives aimed at achieving gender equality and promoting women’s empowerment.
The Minister also welcomed Ms. Shoko Ishikawa’s forthcoming role as Representative of UN Women in India and expressed confidence in further strengthening the partnership between India and UN Women in advancing shared goals of gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Bilateral Meeting with Canada
MoS further held a bilateral meeting with the H.E. Ms. Rechie Valdez, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism), Government of Canada. The discussions highlighted the strengthening of India–Canada relations following the launch of the New Roadmap for India–Canada Relations by the Foreign Ministers in October 2025, which has helped accelerate bilateral engagement across multiple sectors.
The Minister expressed optimism that, with the advancement of bilateral ties, India and Canada can emerge as reliable partners, particularly in the areas of early childhood education, health, and cognitive development, contributing to the long-term prosperity and well-being of their peoples.